Catamount Ski Area
Catamount Ski Area is a ski resort located on Mount Fray of the Taconic Mountains in Hillsdale, New York and South Egremont, Massachusetts. It is one of the few remaining family-owned ski areas in New England. Catamount is also one of the largest ski areas in the Berkshire/Taconic Mountains.
| Location | Egremont, Massachusetts / Hillsdale, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest major city | Great Barrington, Massachusetts (7.5 Miles), Poughkeepsie, New York (53 Miles), New York, New York (129 Miles), New Haven, Connecticut (83 Miles) |
| Vertical | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Top elevation | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
| Skiable area | 119 acres (0.48 km2) |
| Runs | 36 |
| Longest run | Ridge Run To Upper And Lower Promenade 2.5mil |
| Lift system | 8 Lifts, 3 surface lifts, 1 Quad, 2 Triples, 2 Doubles |
| Terrain parks | 3 |
| Snowfall | 75" |
| Website | Catamount Ski Area |
History
Fray Mountain was discovered by John (Jack) Falconer Fisher in 1937/38. When Jack was a young man of 16, he earned his pilots license. He would fly over mountains, sculpting trails in his mind as he had a vision of creating either a golf course or a ski area. Jack was from nearby Salisbury, CT and had helped bring to fruition, Lime Rock Race Track and the Salisbury Ski Jump. He had many Scandinavian friends that were ski jumpers and skiers. After talking with his friends he decided to buy a farm (Fray), and called it, Catamount. In 1937/38 Jack and his friends all camped out for the summer at the base of the mountain, creating trails and deciding on a vision for one of the first ski areas in the country. Jack was an architect of the land and a pioneer of the ski industry.
When Catamount opened for business in 1939, with three rope tows, run by a car engine with a bull wheel attached and a rope around it, pulling skier up the hill, it was a success.
Many skiers came up from New York City on the train, as the train run through Hillsdale, New York. When the skiers arrived, there were trucks with hay bails in them, ready and waiting to pick up the skiers and deliver them to Catamount for a day of skiing.
In 1953 Jack married Florence (Flukie) Kendall from New York City, they had two children, Katherine and Barrie. In 1958 she started the ski shop.
The lodge was decorated with two large fireplaces, gravel floor and picnic bench tables for 30 years. It is a family friendly area that has had additions throughout the years, with the Ski Cat Club (Modeled after "Club 10" at Sugarbush, ski area) a racing trail with a race shed for the racers, snow making, four chairlifts, one T-Bar, one J-Bar.
Bill Gilbert and Don Edwards took over management, purchasing Catamount in 1974. Since the change in ownership, many trails and lifts have been added. In addition, snowmaking coverage has been increased from 25 to 98 percent.[1]
In 2006, the summit double chairlift was replaced with a fixed grip quad chairlift.
In May, 2018 the Schaefer family, of Charlemont MA, longtime owners / managers of Berkshire East Mountain Resort purchased Catamount Ski Area. There are several recent upgrades to the resort including the new Catamount Lodge, five new trails, and an increase in overall snowmaking capacity.
Berkshire East Mountain Resort in Charlemont, MA is the sister mountain with access to both resorts through the Berkshire Summit Pass.
Mountain statistics
Elevation
- Vertical drop: 1,000 ft (300 m)
Trails
- Skiable area: 119 acres (0.48 km2)
- 36 trails
- 12 novice
- 13 intermediate
- 11 advanced and expert
- Longest trail - 2.5 miles (4.0 km) Ridge Run to Upper and Lower Promenade
98% of the acrerage of the trails is covered by snowmaking.
Trail Map
| Easiest | More Difficult | Most Difficult and Terrain Parks | Expert (Use Extreme Caution) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali's Alley (n) | Catamount | Lower Alley Cat | Catapult (Steepest Run In The Berkshires)(m) |
| Cat's Meow (n) | Chute | Upper Alley Cat | Lynx (m)(n) |
| Colonel's Caper | Mountain View | Expressway | |
| Esplanade | On Stage | Lower Glade (m) | |
| Holiday | Race Slope | Sunrise (t) | |
| Kelli's Run | Walter's Way | Panther Park (t) | |
| Kid Cats | Ridge Run | Upper Glade (m) | |
| Lower Promenade | Lower Sidewinder | Off Stage (m) | |
| Upper Promenade | Upper Sidewinder | Terrain Park (t) | |
| SnowSports Learning Area | Turnpike | ||
| Bobcat | Upper Turnpike | ||
| Birch Cathedral | Fishers Fluke | ||
- (m) - trail with moguls most of the time when conditions provide
- (t) - terrain park with various jumps and features including rails and boxes
- (n) - no snowmaking
Lifts
- 8 total
- 1 quad chair
- 2 triple chairs
- 2 double chairs
- 3 Wonder Carpets
| Surface Lifts | Fixed Grip Triples | Fixed Grip Quads | Fixed Grip Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonder Carpet | Meadows Triple | Ridge Quad | Catamount Double |
| Kid Cats Carpet | Glade Double | ||
Lodges
- Main Base Lodge: located at the base of the ski area
- Taconic Lodge: temporary lodge located at the bottom of the mountain near the Ridge Quad.
Condominum development
In the coming years, a 126 condominium complex is planned. In addition to the condominiums, additional retail, dining, and recreational facilities are expected to be constructed.
References
- "A History of Catamount". February 9, 2007. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.